Effect of Low-Dose Dopamine on Renal Function and Electrolyte Extraction During Cardiopulmonary Bypass

OBJECTIVE: Kidney damage after cardiac surgery can cause acute renal failure, increase the morbidity and mortality, and prolong the hospital stay. Various methods have therefore been used to prevent renal failure. One of the most frequently used drugs for this purpose is low-dose dopamine (2-4 mcg/kg/min) but it has various disadvantages in addition to advantages. One disadvantage is the increased urinary excretion of electrolytes. We studied the use low-dose dopamine on renal function in patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. MATERIAL and METHODS: We included 40 patients who were planned to undergo open heart surgery, had developed kidney damage for any reason before the surgery, and had normal ejection fraction (EF) in the study. The data were recorded before and 1, 24, and 48 hours after the operation. RESULTS: When we compared the postoperative 24th hour data, urinary K and Cl were higher in the control group than the dopamine group (p<0.05). Postoperative 24th hour creatinine clearance was higher in the dopamine group than the control group (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: We conclude that the use of low-dose dopamine in cardiopulmonary bypass patients in the postoperative period does not have a positive effect on the renal function and does not affect urinary electrolyte excretion